Extending touch-sensitive regions on electronic devices
This document describes systems and techniques directed at extending touch-sensitive regions in electronic devices. In aspects, an electronic device includes a cover layer, a touch sensor panel, and an electronic visual display panel (“display panel”). The cover layer includes a top face and a side face. The touch sensor panel has a first sensing region corresponding to a surface of the top face and a second sensing region at least partially corresponding to a second surface of the side face. The display panel has an active area corresponding at least partially to the first surface of the top face. The active area of the touch sensor panel is greater than an active area of the display panel. Despite the display panel and the touch sensor panel having different active area sizes, an integrated circuit is configured to control both of them, maximizing an internal volumetric efficiency.
1 . An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a display panel stack attached to the housing sufficient to define an internal cavity, the display panel stack having:
a cover layer disposed as a topmost layer, the cover layer including a top face and a side face, the top face having a normal axis less than or equal to 45 degrees from a z-axis, the side face having a normal axis greater than 45 degrees from a z-axis;
a touch sensor panel disposed beneath the cover layer, the touch sensor panel comprising a single, primary sensing layer having a first sensing region corresponding to a surface of the top face and a second sensing region at least partially corresponding to a second surface of the side face, the second sensing region of the touch sensor panel extending continuously from the first sensing region and substantially parallel with the second surface of the side face; and
a display panel disposed beneath the touch sensor panel, the display panel having an active area corresponding at least partially to the first surface of the top face, the display panel dimensionally smaller than the touch sensor panel in at least one dimension; and
an integrated circuit configured to control both the touch sensor panel and the display panel, the touch sensor panel having an extended region that is a portion of the single, primary sensing layer and extends from the second sensing region of the touch sensor panel in a U-shape away from the second surface of the side face to an electrical interface of the integrated circuit;
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to direct the integrated circuit to receive touch input data at the touch sensor panel and cause the display panel to illuminate.
2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the display panel comprises a first length and a first width;
the touch sensor panel comprises a second length and a second width; and
at least one of the second length or the second width are larger than the first length or the second width, respectively.
3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the display panel comprises a first diameter;
the touch sensor panel comprises a first length and a first width; and
at least one of the first length or the first width is larger than the first diameter.
4 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the display panel comprises a first diameter;
the touch sensor panel comprises a second diameter; and
the second diameter is larger than the first diameter.
5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the extended region of the touch sensor panel operatively connects to the electrical interface, the touch sensor panel and display panel being connected to the integrated circuit through the electrical interface.
6 . The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the integrated circuit comprises a first driver for the touch sensor panel and a second driver for the display panel.
7 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is disposed beneath a bottommost layer of the display panel stack.
8 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that further cause the one or more processors to determine between a first touch input at the first surface of the top face or a second touch input at the second surface of the side face.
9 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that further cause the one or more processors to direct the integrated circuit to operate the display panel based on the determination between the first touch input or the second touch input.
10 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the side face extends an entire perimeter of the top face.
11 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the cover layer is substantially dome shaped.
12 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises a wearable device.
13 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensor panel comprises a capacitive touch-sensing panel.
14 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the display panel comprises an organic light-emitting diode display and the cover layer comprises a plastic material.
15 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensor panel comprises an irregular shape having a dimension in at least one plane greater than or equal to a diameter of the cover layer.
16 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein a shortest dimension of the irregular shape in the at least one plane is greater than or equal to a diameter of the display panel active area.
17 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the display panel is elliptically shaped.
18 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the display panel, the touch sensor panel, or the cover layer share a geometric center.
19 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the extended region of the touch sensor panel comprises a non-sensing region that extends continuously from the second sensing region in the U-shape away from the second surface of the side face of the cover layer.
20 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is disposed on a substrate having a curved portion that supports the electrical interface to which the extended region of the touch sensor panel is coupled.